Myths Surrounding Online Learning... Distance Education’s True Potential

Five Myths Surrounding K-12 Online Learning by Guadalupe Vadillo

A great one to start off with! This article challenges some of the myths around distance and online education. The author asserts that:

1. Courses need not be delivered in a conventional way. If the necessary learning outcomes can be achieved using educational games, blogs and other creative technology based methods instead of traditional ones, why should these not be fully embraced?

2. Online learning is not second best to face to face instruction. The most recent study by the US Department of Education (Patrick and Powell, 2009) showed that on average, students in online learning situations actually had better performance than their face to face counterparts.

3. In an online environment, educators should trust that learners can deal with a variety of tasks and technologies. Keeping programs and tasks similar unit to unit is underestimating the intelligence and skills of students.

4. Not all activities need to be graded. Using the potential of online education to create a great learning experience without the emphasis always being on academic achievement can develop internal motivation and a greater desire to learn.

5. Virtual courses can and often should be rapidly implemented. Students’ online literacy in this digital age is generally high. Gradual implementation of online programs is unnecessary and could limit progress.

Vadillo, G. (2010). Five Myths Surrounding K-12 Online Learning. Distance Learning, 7(2), 61-63.
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